Meghan Markle Files Formal Complaint As Piers Morgan Doubles Down
Piers Morgan is even back at it, once again attacking the Duchess of Sussex
DFree / Naresh / Shutterstock Earlier this week, Piers Morgan famously stormed off set during a live broadcast of “Good Morning Britain” as co-host Alex Beresford was in the middle of criticizing him for his harsh comments about Meghan Markle.
The heated exchange and Morgan's proverbial exit stage left was followed by an inpouring of over 41,000 complaints to UK media regulator Ofcom within the next 24 hours
Markle herself filed a complaint to ITV, the show's network. after reportedly becoming worried reported that Morgan’s comments about not believing that she was suicidal could have a negative impact on others.
Despite Morgan and ITV reaching what they say was a joint decision for him to leave the show, the now-former "GMB" host has refused to either apologize or back down.
And as a result, it's now also been confirmed that Markle has now lodged a formal complaint with Ofcom as well.
On Sunday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, sat down for the interview with Oprah Winfrey that caused a stir all around the world.
As anyone not living under a rock now knows, Markle shared for the first time that she had seriously contemplated suicide while living in the palace.
“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore," Markle admitted to a stunned Winfrey. "And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. I went to the institution, and I said I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said that I never felt this way before and I need to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
The following Morgan shared his unfiltered thoughts with his "Good Morning Britain" audience, accusing Markle of lying about the state of her mental health.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe a word she said, Meghan Markle," Morgan said. "I wouldn't believe it if she read me a weather report."
Beresford grew visibly upset and went on to suggest Morgan's own issues with Markle stem from a personal matter between the two.
In 2018, Morgan published a scathing, and frankly, somewhat creepy, article in The Daily Mail, alleging that Markle had ghosted him after meeting Prince Harry.
“I understand that you don’t like Meghan Markle," Beresford began. "You’ve made it so clear a number of times on this program, and I understand that you had a personal relationship with Meghan Markle and she cut you off."
“Has she said anything about you after she cut you off?" he continued. "She’s entitled to cut you off if she wants to. And yet you continue to trash her.”
When asked about the events that led up to his exit, however, Morgan has only doubled down on his comments, defending his right to express his opinion.
“I believe in freedom of speech. I believe in the right to be allowed to have an opinion. If people want to believe Meghan Markle, that’s entirely their right,” Morgan said. “If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly held opinion about Meghan Markle and ... that interview, so be it,” he said.
Of course, Morgan isn’t the only high-profile person who has responded to Markle’s claims.
Buckingham Palace has since issued a statement in which they state, “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much loved family members."
Though Morgan refuses to offer an apology, he did make a point of addressing the larger issues of suicide and mental health.
“But let me just state on the record my position about mental illness and on suicide," Morgan said. "These are clearly extremely serious things that should be taken extremely seriously, and if someone is feeling that way they should get the treatment and help they need every time.”
While talking to reporters, Morgan addressed what his life would like look now, away from the show and how things ended between him and the TV network.
He referred to his exit as a “temporary hibernation,” calling the split with ITV “very amicable” and that he “had a good chat with ITV, and we agreed to disagree.”
“But of course, my opinions remain my opinions. [The public] can’t silence that ... I’ve got lots of other jobs. If you’re worried about me going hungry, you don’t need to worry.”
In the aftermath of his exit, Sharon Osbourne oddly came to Morgan's defense on her show, "The Talk."
She has since distanced herself from the stance she took to support Morgan's case, insisting that "There are very few things that hurt my heart more than racism."
Tomás Diniz Santos is a writer living in Orlando, Florida. He covers news, entertainment, and pop-culture topics.